Rhino Jazz(s) Festival

47th Edition — "Y'a d'la joie!"

The 2025 edition of the Rhino Jazz(s) Festival took place from September 25 to October 19, offering 48 concerts in 29 towns in the Loire and Rhône regions. Under the artistic direction of Ludovic Chazalon, this 47th edition, titled "100% Raw Talent", celebrated the diversity of jazz(s) with artists from around the world.

Opening with SunBørn

The festival opened its doors on September 25 in La Fouillouse with the Danish band SunBørn, four-time Grammy nominees, who set the tone for an edition focused on groove and joy.

The Big Nights

On October 10, Israeli double bassist Avishai Cohen presented his new trio Brightlight at the Salle Aristide Briand in Saint-Chamond, in a highly anticipated concert. On October 14, Californian saxophonist Donny McCaslin, famous for his collaboration with David Bowie on the album Blackstar, performed at Le Panassa in Saint-Étienne. On October 16, Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox took over the Opéra de Saint-Étienne for their Magic & Moonlight Tour, reinventing contemporary hits in vintage versions.

The Blues in All Its Splendor

On October 18, the Nuit du Blues (Blues Night) at Salle Aristide Briand brought together Robert Finley (USA) and Justina Lee Brown (Nigeria/Switzerland) for a memorable evening. Throughout the festival, female voices were highlighted: Terrie Odabi, Linda Lee Hopkins, Rose Betty Klub, Katarina Pejak, and Mélina Tobiana.

Discoveries and Original Formats

The festival also showcased emerging artists and original musical formats: Cissy Street, Naoko Sakata solo at the Chapelle de la Trinité in Lyon, Äkä — Free Voices of Forest with Leila Martial at the Théâtre de la Renaissance in Oullins, Kadri Voorand and Mihkel Mälgand from Estonia at Les Foréziales in Montrond-les-Bains, and the Cynthia Abraham Sextet Vocal in the church of Villars.

Festive Closing

The festival concluded on October 19 with the New Orleans Syndicate at La Grange de Châteauneuf and an intimate concert by Pierre-François Blanchard & Thomas Savy at Le Solar in Saint-Étienne.

Full Program for the 47th Edition

Week 1 (September 25-28)

• 25/09 — SunBørn — 8:30 PM — La Maison Scène, La Fouillouse
• 26/09 — Nouche — 8:00 PM — Le Cercle, Saint-Joseph
• 26/09 — Your Gospel Team (Switzerland) — 8:00 PM — Church, Saint-Maurice-en-Gourgois
• 27/09 — Hugo Guezbar Trio — 8:00 PM — Church, Genilac
• 27/09 — Cissy Street — 8:30 PM — Le Trait d'Union, Chamboeuf
• 28/09 — Terrie Odabi (USA) — 5:00 PM — L'Opsis, Roche-la-Molière
• 28/09 — Renaud Garcia-Fons "Blue Maqam" — 6:00 PM — La Verrière, Sainte-Colombe

Week 2 (October 1-5)

• 01/10 — Armel Dupas — 6:30 PM — Cinémathèque, Saint-Étienne
• 01/10 — Harold Charre — 8:30 PM — Galerie Ceysson & Bénétière, Saint-Étienne
• 02/10 — Naoko Sakata solo — 8:00 PM — Chapelle de la Trinité, Lyon
• 03/10 — The Brooks — 8:30 PM — Le Quarto, Unieux
• 03/10 — Samarabalouf — 8:30 PM — Church, La Tour-en-Jarez
• 04/10 — Rodolphe Lauretta / Kreolia II — 8:30 PM — Salle polyvalente, La Fouillouse
• 05/10 — Saxicola Rubi — 5:00 PM — Church, Saint-Paul-en-Cornillon
• 05/10 — Tigres et Canapés — 5:30 PM — Salle Georges Brassens, Cellieu

Week 3 (October 6-12)

• 06/10 — March Mallow — 8:00 PM — Maison de la Culture Le Corbusier, Firminy
• 07/10 — Philippe Ménard — 8:00 PM — Auberge Laffont, Dargoire
• 07/10 — Don Salluste — 8:30 PM — La Rotonde, Villeurbanne
• 08/10 — Yumi Ito + The Two — 8:00 PM — Théâtre du Parc, Andrézieux-Bouthéon
• 08/10 — Äkä — Free Voices of Forest — 8:00 PM — Théâtre de la Renaissance, Oullins
• 09/10 — Katarina Pejak — 8:00 PM — L'Échappé, Sorbiers
• 09/10 — Lionel Suarez & André Minvielle + Paula Mirhan & Rui Barossi — 8:00 PM — La Passerelle, Saint-Just-Saint-Rambert
• 10/10 — Mélina Tobiana 5tet — 8:30 PM — Château du Rozier, Feurs
• 10/10 — Avishai Cohen Trio "Brightlight" — 8:00 PM — Salle Aristide Briand, Saint-Chamond
• 11/10 — Le Sacre du Tympan "Cartoons, le retour" — 8:30 PM — Le Radiant Bellevue, Caluire-et-Cuire
• 12/10 — Angelo Maria Afrojazz Groove Machine — 6:00 PM — Maison du Temps Libre, Saint-Paul-en-Jarez
• 12/10 — Cynthia Abraham Sextet Vocal — 6:00 PM — Church, Villars

Week 4 (October 13-19)

• 13/10 — Swing Gamblers — 7:00 PM — Lycée hôtelier, Saint-Chamond
• 14/10 — Donny McCaslin — 8:00 PM — Le Panassa, Saint-Étienne
• 15/10 — Linda Lee Hopkins 5et — 8:30 PM — Salle Jean Dasté, Rive-de-Gier
• 16/10 — Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox "Magic & Moonlight Tour" — 8:00 PM — Opéra, Saint-Étienne
• 17/10 — Kadri Voorand & Mihkel Mälgand — 8:30 PM — Les Foréziales, Montrond-les-Bains
• 17/10 — Rose Betty Klub — 8:30 PM — La Gare, Saint-Martin-la-Plaine
• 18/10 — Blues Night: Robert Finley + Justina Lee Brown — 8:00 PM — Salle Aristide Briand, Saint-Chamond
• 19/10 — New Orleans Syndicate — 5:30 PM — La Grange, Châteauneuf
• 19/10 — Pierre-François Blanchard & Thomas Savy — 6:00 PM — Le Solar, Saint-Étienne

Highlights of the 2025 Edition

• Theme: "Y'a d'la joie!" — 100% Raw Talent
• 48 concerts in 29 towns in the Loire and Rhône regions
• SunBørn (Denmark), a jazz-groove band, opening in La Fouillouse
• Avishai Cohen Trio "Brightlight" at Salle Aristide Briand, Saint-Chamond
• Donny McCaslin at Le Panassa, Saint-Étienne
• Scott Bradlee's Postmodern Jukebox at the Opéra de Saint-Étienne
• Blues Night with Robert Finley and Justina Lee Brown in Saint-Chamond
• Renaud Garcia-Fons "Blue Maqam" with his daughter Soléa
• Naoko Sakata solo at the Chapelle de la Trinité in Lyon
• Exhibition at the Heritage Days at the Collégiale Notre-Dame de Saint-Chamond
• Artists from over 10 countries: USA, Canada, Denmark, Israel, Japan, Switzerland, Nigeria, Estonia, Serbia